Life after falls prevention exercise \u2013 experiences of older people taking part in a clinical trial: a phenomenological study

Susanne Finnegan,Julie Bruce,Kate Seers

doi:10.1186/s12877-021-02037-9

Susanne Finnegan, Julie Bruce + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02037-9

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Journal: BMC Geriatrics	Publication Date: Jan 31, 2021
Citations: 5	License type: open-access

Affiliation: University of Warwick

Abstract

BackgroundThere is little evidence about the lived experience of older people who have completed a falls prevention exercise programme and their life beyond their intervention.MethodA phenomenological interview study with 23 participants (12 females), mean age 81 years (range 74–93 years), residing in their own homes across England, who had participated in a falls prevention exercise intervention within the Prevention of Falls Injury Trial (PreFIT). The aims were to explore their experiences of:being in a clinical trial involving exercise.exercise once their falls prevention intervention had finished.Interpretative data analysis was informed by van Manen’s (1997) framework for phenomenological data.ResultsAnalysis of interviews about experiences of participating in PreFIT and what happened once the falls intervention ended identified five themes: Happy to help; Exercise behaviours; “It keeps me going”; “It wasn’t a real fall”; and Loss. Participants did not continue their specific exercises after they had completed the intervention. They preferred walking as their main exercise, and none reported preventing falls as a motivator to continue exercising. Participant experiences suggest that they have their own ideas about what constitutes a fall and there is disparity between their interpretation and the definition used by healthcare professionals and researchers.ConclusionDespite good intentions and perceived benefits, on-going participation in falls prevention exercises beyond a structured, supervised intervention was not a priority for these older people. Promoting continuation of falls prevention exercises post-intervention is just as challenging as promoting uptake to and adherence during exercise programmes.

Highlights

There is little evidence about the lived experience of older people who have completed a falls prevention exercise programme and their life beyond their intervention
There is a shortage of evidence as to the long-term effects of exercise, maintenance of accrued benefits, or changes in physical activity, health behaviours and health status beyond the end of falls prevention exercise interventions [4, 5]
The aims were to explore the experiences of: i. being in a clinical trial involving exercise. ii. exercise once their falls prevention intervention had finished

Summary

Introduction

There is little evidence about the lived experience of older people who have completed a falls prevention exercise programme and their life beyond their intervention. The recommended exercise dose is 50 h over a six-month period, with long-term participation recommended to maintain accrued benefits [2] Despite these recommendations, there is a shortage of evidence as to the long-term effects of exercise, maintenance of accrued benefits, or changes in physical activity, health behaviours and health status beyond the end of falls prevention exercise interventions [4, 5]. There is a shortage of evidence as to the long-term effects of exercise, maintenance of accrued benefits, or changes in physical activity, health behaviours and health status beyond the end of falls prevention exercise interventions [4, 5] This gap in the evidence needs to be addressed to determine the long-term sustainability of exercise programmes and how best to promote exercise that can reduce rate and risk of falls, as a life-long intervention [6, 7]

Results

Discussion

Conclusion